Games for the Playground, Home, School and Gymnasium Part 31

PRISONER'S BASE--III

_6 to 30 or more players._

_Playground; gymnasium._

[Ill.u.s.tration Diagram: PRISONER'S BASE--III]

The ground is divided according to the accompanying diagram; the players, who are divided into two equal parties, with a captain for each party, being stationed respectively in the goals marked _A_ and _B_, which are at the same end of the ground instead of at opposite ends, as in Prisoners' Base II. In the present form of the game, the prison belonging to each side is located directly opposite its own home goal at the farther end of the ground, instead of near its own goal, as in II. Rescue of a prisoner is by entry of the opponent's prison, not by tagging the prisoners; so there is no object in the prisoner's reaching out of the prison, as in the previous forms of the game.

The two parties decide by counting out, holders, drawing lots, or some other form of choice, which shall commence. One member of this side then runs out to the middle of the ground and gives a "nominy," or "dare," calling, "Chevy, chevy, chase! One, two, three!" As soon as he has called this (but not before), he is liable to be tagged by the opponents, who try to catch him before he can run home again. Should he reach home in safety, the opponents take their turn in sending a man to the middle to give a "dare" in the same way. A player need not run home, however, but may remain at large, another player from his side running out to cover or protect him by trying to tag the opponent. Several players from each team may be out in this way at one time. A player may be caught by any man who left his home goal after he did, but by none who left before him. Each player must therefore keep a sharp watch on his opponents to know which of them may tag him and which he may tag. This is continued until a prisoner is caught, when he is taken by his captor to the prison belonging to the side capturing him. A captor may not be tagged while taking a prisoner to prison, and is allowed to go back to his goal afterward without tagging. If a player can reach the opponents' prison without being tagged by an opponent, he releases the first prisoner taken there.

Both may return home without being tagged. The object of the game is to place all of the players of the opponents' side in prison, and when that is accomplished, to take possession of the opponent's home goal. When this is done, the two parties change sides and begin again, the losing side being first to send a man into the field.

PRISONER'S BASE--IV

[Ill.u.s.tration diagram: PRISONER'S BASE--IV]

This differs from the preceding game only in the laying out of the ground, the prison for each party being on the opponent's side of the ground instead of on the side of the home goal. This arrangement decreases the risk in rescuing prisoners. All of the rules for the game are the same as in III.

PRISONER'S BASE--V

_10 to 30 or more players._

_Playground; gymnasium._

[Ill.u.s.tration diagram: PRISONER'S BASE--V]

In this form of prisoner's base the ground is marked out in a square or oblong, the dimensions varying with the number of players and their age or ability as runners. For average players a ground measuring 60 60 feet is recommended. The two end boundaries serve as base lines, the territory beyond each belonging to the party on that side. In this respect the game differs from those previously described, in which a limited home goal is marked for each team. About ten feet from the base line, near the left-hand corner of the square or oblong, a small prison is marked for each team.

The first object of the game is to make prisoners of all the opponents. The second object of the game is to make runs into the enemy's territory and back again without being caught (tagged). Three such runs ent.i.tle the player making them to select a player from the opposing team as a prisoner, or to free one prisoner from his own team. Should a player be made a prisoner, any runs he may have made into the enemy's territory up to that time are lost in his account, and when freed, he must begin his score of runs over again to count three. A player returning home after a run into the enemy's territory may not capture a prisoner, or free one of his own men from prison on the way. A player may not be tagged after crossing the opponents' base line until he starts back. In returning home after such a run, a player may be tagged by any opponent who left his own goal after the runner left his own goal (not the enemy's goal), but not by any who started out before the runner started. This rule applies to the capture of opponents at any time, any player, for instance, on team A, being liable to capture by any opponent on team B who left his base line _after_ the A man, but not any who left it _before_ he left his own. Similarly, he may capture any player on team B who ventured forth before he did, but must be on his guard against any who came out after he did. Stepping over the side lines while being chased is equivalent to being caught; but this does not apply when escorting a prisoner or at any other time.

Prisoners may stretch out of the prison as far as possible so long as one foot is within it. As the number of prisoners increases, they may stretch out in one long file from the prison, provided each touches a hand or foot, or some other part of the next player. In such a file, the first prisoner captured should be the farthest away from the prison, the last one captured with at least one foot in the goal, and the others in relative order. After the first prisoner is caught, the game centers more on freeing or preventing the freeing of prisoners than on runs into the enemy's goal.

This is the form of Prisoner's Base preferred by Mr. Joseph Lee of Boston, and described by him in _Playground_ (No. 8). Mr.

Lee says:--

"The interest of the game depends very much on locating the prison in such a way as to give the right balance between the forces of offense and defense. If it is placed close to the base line of the side by which the capture has been made, it is almost impossible to free the prisoner if there is any defense at all. The game is often spoiled by this mistake. On the other hand, it must not be placed too far out, for if it is, it becomes impossible to win the game, because the line of prisoners, when the side is nearly all caught, then extends to a point so much nearer their own base line than to that of their opponents that even the slowest runner on the losing side can get down and free a prisoner before the fastest runner on the opposite side can get out to stop him. The art of laying out the ground is to have the prison placed far enough out to make the freeing of the first prisoner reasonably easy, without being so far out as to make the catching of the last one impossible. In general, the game can be made lively and comparatively unscientific by making the distance between the base lines (the lines on which the two sides are lined up) short, the field wide, and the prisons far out; and can be made more difficult and less eventful by making it long and narrow, with the prisons close in. If this latter tendency is carried too far, however, freeing prisoners and making runs become at last impossible, and the game is entirely stopped.... The game, of course, is at its best when there is most going on and of the most thrilling sort,--a lot of players making runs and freeing and defending prisoners,--with flight and rally, charge and rout, and triumph and despair."

PUSS IN A CORNER

_5 to 30 or more players._

_Schoolroom; playground; gymnasium._

All of the players but one are disposed in the corners or at convenient goals that will answer the same purpose. The odd player goes from one to another, saying, "p.u.s.s.y wants a corner!" The player to whom this is addressed replies, "Go to my next-door neighbor." Any two of the other players meanwhile watch their opportunity to beckon to one another for exchanging places. They try to make this exchange of signals and to dash across from place to place when the attention of Puss is attracted in some other direction, as p.u.s.s.y must try to secure a corner by rushing to any place that is vacant when the players thus exchange.

The sport of the game consists very largely in tantalizing Puss by making many exchanges, or, on the other hand, in Puss suddenly dashing for some vacant place without giving previous evidence of knowing of it. Whenever Puss secures a corner, the odd player left out becomes Puss.

Puss, when not succeeding in getting a corner as soon as desirable, may call "All change!" when all of the players must exchange places, and in the general flurry Puss should secure a place.

Out of doors.--This game may be very delightfully adapted to outdoor play by each player taking a tree as a "corner," when the dodging and running may be much more varied and interesting than in the open s.p.a.ce of a parlor or gymnasium.

PUSS IN THE CIRCLE

_10 to 30 or more players._

_Playground; gymnasium._

A large circle is marked on the ground or floor. One player, who is Puss, stands in the center of this circle; the other players stand outside of the circle surrounding it. These players may be tagged by Puss whenever they have a foot inside of the circle. They will make opportunity for this by stepping in and out of the circle, teasing Puss in every possible way to tag them. Any one whom Puss touches becomes a prisoner and is another Puss, joining the first Puss in the circle to help tag the others. The last one tagged is the winner of the game.

This is one of the games particularly suited to make a timid child courageous, and a teacher or leader using the game with little children should urge such timid children to take an active part in the game.

RAILROAD TRAIN

_10 to 100 players._

_Parlor; schoolroom; out of doors._

Each player is named for some object on a train, such as engine, baggage car, dining car, smokestack, boiler, cylinders, wheels, oil, coal, engineer, porter, conductor, etc. One person is chosen to be the train master. He says in narrative form: "We must hurry and make up a train to go to Boston. I will take Number One _engine_ and some _coal_; have the _bell rope_ in order; be sure that the _cushions_ are brushed in the _sleeping car_," etc. As he names these objects, the player bearing each name runs to the starter and lines up behind him, each putting his hands on the shoulders of the one in front, the first one placing his on the shoulders of the starter. When all are on the train, the starter gives the signal for going, and the whole train moves out on its journey, which at the discretion of the starter will be up hill over obstacles, down hill from others, around loops and curves, etc.; and he may, under suitable circ.u.mstances, find a convenient place for a grand "smash-up" at the end.

For large numbers there should be several starters, starting several trains at once, and these may race for a given point at the end.

RED LION

_5 to 30 or more players._

_Playground; gymnasium._

A place is marked out at one side or end of the ground called the den.

In this stands one player who is called Red Lion. The other players choose one of their number as a chief, who does not run, but stands at one side and directs the movements of the others. The chief calls "Loose!" to the Red Lion. After hearing this signal, the lion is free to run out whenever he chooses. The players venture near to the den, taunting the lion with the lines:--